Methods and systems to fast fill media players

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems are provided to fast fill media players and buffers associated with media players. A bandwidth associated with initial startup of a media player is overloaded to rapidly fill the buffer and initiate the media player. Alternatively, multiple simultaneous data communication sessions are established with a media data source device, and the media data are concurrently received from the simultaneous sessions into the buffer or transferred of out the buffer at startup, thereby decreasing the latency associated with initiating the media player.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is commonly assigned to, co-pending with, acontinuation of, and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/884,494, entitled “Methods and Systems to Fast Fill Media Players,”filed on Jul. 2, 1004, which is a divisional of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/037,119, filed on Oct. 25, 2001, now issued as U.S. Pat. No.6,801,964 on Oct. 5, 2004; the disclosures of which are incorporatedherein by reference in their entireties.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE/PERMISSION

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialthat is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever. The following notice applies to the software and dataas described below and in any drawings hereto: Copyright ©2001, Volera,Inc., All Rights Reserved.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to fast filling media players, and inparticular to methods and systems used to fast fill media buffers usedby media players upon initial startup of the media player, therebyreducing latency associated with initial media player startup during astreaming data session.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A wide variety of off-the-shelf media players are available in theindustry to play media data, such as video or audio data. Because thebyte size associated with media data is typically very large, deliveringmedia data to a media player can be technologically challenging. Thischallenge is especially problematic when a media player resides on acomputing device that receives media data from a media source device viaa connection with only limited bandwidth capabilities.

To solve the media data delivery problem, a number of solutions havebeen developed. First, increased bandwidth connections to media sourcedevices have become readily available to end-users. Some of theseincreased bandwidth connections include cable connections, DigitalSubscriber Line (DSL) connections, satellite connections, and the like.Furthermore, end-users, in some cases, have elected to completelydownload media data to their local computing devices before playing themedia data on the media player. Moreover, the industry has developeddata streaming techniques, streaming communication protocols, andcaching techniques to reduce latency or perceived latency associatedwith delivering media data to media players.

Generally, existing data streaming techniques intentionally introducelatency in order to buffer the media data. This allows the data to beprocessed more uniformly, thereby permitting the media player tocontinuously play a stream of media data. As the media player consumesmedia data, additional media data are received, thereby keeping themedia player's buffer full. In this way, the media data appear to playuninterrupted to an end-user viewing or listening to the media datawithin the media player's viewer. Accordingly, initial latency isbelieved to be necessary to improve the end-user's overall experience sothat, once play is initiated, it is not choppy (e.g., interrupted).

Yet, latency associated with initially starting the media player isannoying to end-users and often the end-users attribute poor service tothe initial startup delays. Existing media players do not start playingthe media data until enough media data are received into the mediaplayer's buffer to support the data streaming process. As a result, theend-user experiences an intentional and often frustrating latency untilthe media player's buffer acquires enough media data from the mediasource device to begin playing.

Generally, streaming content requires startup delays, when played onmedia players, for periods of five seconds or more as the media player'sbuffer is populated with media data. Moreover, the streaming content isdelivered to the media player at a fixed rate using a fixed bandwidth.Correspondingly, the streaming content cannot avoid startup delays withpresent methods and systems.

As is apparent, there exists a need for improving the delivery ofstreaming content to existing media players, wherein an initial latencycan be eliminated or substantially diminished. In this way, end-userswill experience immediate service from a streaming content provider.Moreover, there exist a need for the end-user to not have to modifyexisting media players to reduce startup latency. Further, there existsa need for the end-user to be able to maintain the end-user's existingbandwidth connections and still enjoy a latency-free media player.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment of the present invention, a method to fast fill amedia player is provided, wherein a latency associated with a startuptime of a media player required to initially play media data isidentified. Furthermore, a bandwidth of the media player associated withreceiving the media data in a buffer of the media player is identified.Additionally, the bandwidth is increased by a factor resulting in themedia data filling the buffer before the startup time thereby decreasingthe latency.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a method of customizingan increased bandwidth associated with fast filling a media buffer isprovided. A player bandwidth associated with a media player and a streambandwidth associated with streaming media data over a media transport tothe media player are identified. Moreover, a transfer bandwidth of themedia data is established to initially fill the media buffer of themedia player over the media transport by selecting the transferbandwidth to be the player bandwidth increased by a multiplierdetermined by dividing the stream bandwidth by the player bandwidth.

In still another embodiment of the present invention, a method of fastfilling a media player is provided, wherein a plurality of datacommunication requests to a media source is used. Furthermore, aplurality of media data transfer sessions associated with eachcommunication request is established with the media source. Also,portions of media data are simultaneously received during each of thetransfer sessions into a buffer associated with the media player andresiding on a client. Finally, when the buffer is filled the mediaplayer is initiated.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a media data systemto provide media data to a media player is provided. The media datasystem includes a buffer associated with a media player and media datareceived from a cache into the buffer. The media player uses the mediadata, when a minimum size of the media data is acquired at a startupprior to the media data being used by the media player. The cacheacquires the minimum size of the media data prior to a request by themedia player for the media data and delivers the minimum size of themedia data on the request by the media player by transferring the mediadata into or out of the buffer at a rate in excess of a bandwidth rateassociated with the media player.

In still another embodiment of the present invention, a system for fastfilling media data into a media player's buffer at startup is provided.The system includes a media player, a media buffer used by the mediaplayer to play media data, and a data transfer controller. Thecontroller acquires the media data from a media source data storage andoverloads the media buffer at a startup to reduce latency associatedwith the startup of the media player.

Still other aspects of the present invention will become apparent tothose skilled in the art from the following description of variousembodiments. As will be realized the invention is capable of otherembodiments, all without departing from the present invention.Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions are illustrative in natureand not intended to be restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flowchart representing a method of fast filling a mediaplayer;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart representing another method of fast filling amedia player;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart representing a method of fast filling a mediabuffer;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart representing another method of fast filling amedia player;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a media data system; and

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a media data system to provide media datato a media player.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following description, reference is made to the accompanyingdrawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way ofillustration specific embodiments in which the invention may bepracticed. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail toenable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is tobe understood that other embodiments may be utilized and thatstructural, logical, optical, and electrical changes may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. The followingdescription is, therefore, not to be taken in a limited sense, and thescope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.

Software for the system is stored on one or more computer readablemedia. In one embodiment the software is stored on secondary storage,such as a disk drive, and loaded into main memory and cache of thecomputer as needed. The software is written in the form of executableinstructions that generally provide a single function or subsets ofrelated functions. However, in various embodiments, the softwarecomprises a single module or many modules, and there is no requirementthat functions be grouped together. Hardware and/or firmware are used toimplement the invention in further embodiments. The software mayimplement the functions, or simply facilitate the performance of thefunction by a human by providing menu driven interfaces, or other meansof providing information to the system for database storage.

As used herein, “media player” refers to any existing software, or setsof executable instructions, operable to visibly and/or audiblycommunicate media data to an end-user via a visual/audio output device.Media data includes, by way of example only, video data, audio data,graphical data, text data, image data, and the like. Further, it isreadily appreciated by those skilled in the art that a single mediaplayer can simultaneously present all forms of media data on avisual/audio output device. Also the term “buffer,” as used herein,refers to storage or memory (e.g., volatile or non-volatile memory)which houses media data for the consumption of the media player. In someembodiments, the buffer is an integral component of the media player,and in other embodiments the buffer is independent of the media player.

Moreover, as used herein “bandwidth” refers to the capacity of datatransfer associated with two computing devices or software applicationscommunicating with one another by transferring data between one another.In some embodiments, bandwidth is restricted by software limitations andin other embodiments bandwidth is restricted by hardware limitations.Further, bandwidth in some embodiments is associated with hardwired datacommunication connections, and in other embodiments bandwidth isassociated with wireless, radio frequency, satellite, or infrared datacommunication connections.

Furthermore, in one embodiment the present invention is implemented inthe C++ programming language within Netware's operating systemenvironment distributed by Novell, Inc. of Provo, Utah using a ProxyCache distributed by Volera, Inc. of San Jose, Calif., wherein the mediaplayer is Apple's QuickTime media player. Of course any programminglanguage, operating system, hardware platform, cache or non-cachesystem, or media player now known or hereafter developed, can be usedwithout departing from the tenets of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows one flowchart representing one method 100 for fast fillinga media player according to the present invention. Initially, aclient-computing device having a media player executing thereon requestsmedia data. The media data are acquired in step 112 at time t₀ 110. Themedia data, in some embodiments, reside on a media content server, massstorage device, or with a media content service. In other embodiments,frequently accessed media data reside on a cache either remote from theserver/client-computing device or within the server/client-computingdevice.

In order for the media data to be acquired by the media player, the datamust be transferred or streamed from the media data's present location(e.g., original source location, temporary cache location, and the like)to a media player's buffer residing on the client-computing device withthe media player. As previously presented the buffer, in someembodiments, is an integral part of the media player, and in otherembodiments the buffer is separate and independently accessible separateand apart from the media player.

To stream or acquire the media data from the media data's presentlocation to the media player, a data communication must be establishedbetween the media player/computing device and a transferring set ofexecutable instructions residing at the media data's present location.The media data transfer rate occurring during the communication processis circumscribed by the bandwidth associated with the mediaplayer/computing device and the transferring set of executableinstructions. Further in some embodiments, the data communicationprotocol used is Transmission Communication Protocol (TCP), UserDatagram Protocol (UDP), Realtime Streaming Protocol (RTSP), InternetStreaming Media Protocol, and others.

In step 122, the media buffer is fast filled at a startup time t₁ 120.It is at time t₁ 120 that the media data is streamed into the mediabuffer to fill the buffer. Existing techniques used to fill the mediabuffer result in a latency upon media player startup, before the mediadata begins to play on the media player. This is so, because existingtechniques do not alter the bandwidth associated with the datacommunication, or otherwise attempt to burst a large amount of initialmedia data into the buffer to fill it in a short period of time, suchthat latency is avoided at startup or significantly and substantiallyreduced.

In some embodiments of the present invention, a bandwidth of the mediaplayer/client-computing device is altered at time t₁ 120 to besubstantially increased by a multiplier/factor for a very shortduration, or until the buffer is rapidly filled with media data. Inother embodiments, this increased bandwidth is readily achieved sincethe media data's present location resides on a cache in directhigh-speed communication with the client-computing device, andcorrespondingly the increased bandwidth occurs without any hardwarelimitations. In other embodiments, existing server applications allow aquick and sudden burst of media data to be transferred to the mediabuffer, beyond the bandwidth generally used for such a data transfer.

In still other embodiments, the bandwidth can appear to have beensubstantially increased resulting in no latency or substantially reducedlatency by establishing a plurality of independent data communicationsessions with the device housing the media data, wherein each sessionrequests a different portion of the media data and each session deliversthe media data concurrently to the media buffer. In this way, the mediabuffer is rapidly filled at time t₁ 120 using multiple parallelconnections to the media data's source location, and the bandwidthassociated with the media player appears to have been substantiallyincreased improving throughput of operation of the media player.

In still other embodiments, the media player is tricked into believingthe media buffer is full and contains the appropriate sequential mediadata packets by acquiring initial media data packets and replicatingthem or otherwise acquiring data packets out of sequence and stuffingthe buffer. The media player will inspect the packet before playing thepacket, and by the time a packet, which has already played or isotherwise out of sequence within the buffer, is obtained by the mediaplayer, the correct next sequential data packet will be in the bufferfor media player consumption.

In other embodiments, media data packets are stuffed into the beginningand the very end of the buffer but not the middle of the buffer, againtricking the media player into believing the buffer is filled. In thisway, the media player believes the buffer is full, but the sequence ofthe media data packets is out of order or the middle of the buffer isempty, and when the media data reaches a point where an error couldarise, the correct data has been obtained and properly inserted into thebuffer.

However, sending data at an excessive bandwidth can cause datacongestion for the media player and/or data communication protocol.Correspondingly, in some embodiments the pacing algorithm used by themedia players is modified to handle the increased bandwidth. This isparticularly beneficial when TCP is being used as the communicationprotocol, since TCP automatically manages and handles congestionavoidance. In other embodiments, the increase in bandwidth is customizedto ensure the media player and/or data communication protocol is capableof handling the increased data burst at time t₁ 120.

Once the media buffer is fast filled with media data in step 122 at timet₁ 120, the media player is started, or begins to play the media data attime t₂ 130. As one skilled in the art will readily recognize, thedifference between time t2 130 and time t1 120 is minimal, in fact to anend-user this difference in some embodiments is undetectable.Accordingly, an initial latency associated with starting or initiating amedia player is eliminated or substantially reduced with the tenets ofthe present invention, by fast-filling the media buffer of the mediaplayer at startup.

As is readily apparent to those skilled in the art, the media data whichare delivered to the media player via the media buffer, need not bedelivered at the beginning of the media data. For example in someembodiments, a video associated with the media data is sent to the mediaplayer from a location within the middle of the video and not at thestart of the video. There is no requirement that an entire video, or thestart of the video be the media data being streamed to the media playerfor purposes of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a flowchart representing another method 200 of fast fillinga media player. Initially in steps 202 and 204, latency associated witha startup of a media player/stream and a bandwidth associated withreceiving media data into the media player's buffer are identified,respectively. The execution order of steps 202 and 204 are not critical,in fact each step is performed in parallel in some embodiments. Also,identifying the latency associated with a startup of a media player isreadily observable during normal operation of the media player, and inother embodiments is automatically trapped or recorded using a set ofexecutable instructions monitoring the elapsed time associated with amedia player request to play and the actual initiation of play. Further,as is appreciated in some embodiments latency is a result of theconfiguration of the media player.

Further, in some embodiments, the bandwidth associated with a mediaplayer's connection is provided by the media player itself, while inother embodiments the bandwidth is manually or automatically detectableduring a transfer of media data from a media data source device housingthe media data to the media player's computing device. Moreover as willbe apparent to those skilled in the art, the bandwidth associated withone media source device and media player interaction can vary with adifferent media source device and media player interaction.

In step 210, the bandwidth identified with the media player and/or mediasource device is associated with the media player. Next, the identifiedbandwidth is increased by a factor, in step 220, before a startup timeassociated with executing the media player and the media data is filledinto the media player's buffer. Thus, latency associated with thestartup time of the media player is eliminated or substantially andsignificantly decreased. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, thisgives an end-user the illusion that the media player begins play almostimmediately with no latency and thereby improves the end-user's overallexpectations and impressions of the media player and/or the streamingcontent service provider.

Furthermore as presented above, the factor increase in bandwidth isachieved through a variety of techniques or combinations of techniques.For example, assuming the media player's computing device includes ahigher bandwidth than the pacing algorithm associated with the mediaplayer, then the pacing set of executable instructions which implementsthe pacing algorithm on the media player's computing device, servercomputing device, cache computing device, or any other computing devicetransferring the media data, is modified to provide the factor increasedesired, as depicted in step 222.

Moreover, the factor increased can be controlled or otherwise managed,in step 224, to avoid data congestion during the initial media datatransfer from the media source device to the media player's buffer, asdepicted in step 224. This control, in some embodiments, is achieved bydetermining the desired initial minimum latency required by the mediaplayer or data communication protocol (e.g., UDP and others), asdepicted in step 226. Next, the factor is readily resolved by dividingthe minimum initial latency time represented in seconds or millisecondsby the media player's identified latency in like time units.

With the increased bandwidth or perceived increased bandwidth, a mediadata transfer session transferring the media data residing on a mediadata source device (e.g., cache of the media player computing device,cache of a remote server servicing the media player and interfacing withthe media data source device, remote media data content serviceprovider, and the like) to the media player is started in step 230. And,in step 232 the media data streaming is initiated.

Accordingly in step 240, the media data are transferred at an increasedor perceived increased bandwidth. Previously presented media data, insome embodiments, are delivered using a streaming media protocol asdepicted in step 242. In other embodiments, the media data are deliveredin a fixed bit rate transmission or in a variable bit rate transmission,as depicted in step 244.

Finally, in step 250 the media player is started and begins to play atleast a portion of the streamed media data almost immediately, since thelatency associated with filling the media buffer has been significantlyreduced or eliminated altogether.

FIG. 3 shows one flowchart representing one method 300 for fast fillinga media buffer. In step 302, a stream bandwidth is identified, whereinthe stream bandwidth is associated with delivery of the media data fromits present location to the media buffer, which is used by the mediaplayer to play the media data. Again the media data, in someembodiments, reside in a local cache (e.g., step 322) to the computingdevice of the media player, or in a remote cache (e.g., step 322) thatis in close and high speed communication with the media player such as,and by way of example only, an Internet Service Provider computingdevice servicing the media player, a Cable or DSL computing deviceservicing the media player, a server computing device servicing anetwork, and the like. In other embodiments, the media data's presentlocation is at a media data content provider's computing device or massstorage device location.

In step 304, the media player's bandwidth is identified. Identificationof the media player's bandwidth is readily achieved with any of theabove, previously presented, methods and techniques. Further, a transferbandwidth is established in step 310. The transfer bandwidth is the rateat which the media data will initially burst from the media data'spresent location to fast fill the media buffer (e.g., step 320) at astartup time associated with the media player. The media data areprovided to the media buffer over a media transport in step 324. Themedia data transport includes, by way of example only, an Internettransport, a hardwired transport, a wireless transport, a radiofrequency transport, an infrared transport, and the like. Further insome embodiments, the media transport uses TCP, UDP, or other datacommunication protocols now know or hereafter developed (e.g., step326).

The transfer bandwidth is established in step 310, in some embodiments,by increasing the identified player bandwidth by a multiplier determinedby dividing the stream bandwidth by the player bandwidth as depicted instep 314. Further, in order to account for minimum latency to avoidmedia player or media transport congestion, a minimum transferbandwidth, in some embodiments, overrides any established transferbandwidth, when the transfer bandwidth exceeds a pre-set valueassociated with the minimum transfer bandwidth, as depicted in step 312.In this way, the transfer bandwidth is customizable/configurable toalleviate congestion problems associated with streaming the media datafrom the media data's present location to the media player's buffer.

FIG. 4 shows one flowchart representing another method 400 for fastfilling a media player. Initially, a media player bandwidth and abandwidth associated with transferring media data to the media player isidentified. Next a desired latency associated with initiating the mediaplayer is determined. As one skilled in the art will readily appreciate,once this information is acquired a determination is made as to how manyindependent data communication requests to a media source are requiredto achieve the desired latency.

Accordingly, in step 410 a plurality of data communication requests areused or otherwise issued to the media source. Each data communicationrequest establishes a media data transfer session in step 420 with themedia source. The total number of sessions is configurable as depictedin step 422 based on the desired latency, if any.

Next, each session (e.g., 423 through 424) is concurrently executed orexecuted in parallel, resulting in different portions of the desiredmedia data being simultaneously received into the media buffer. As oneskilled in the art will appreciate, these concurrent media datatransfers reduce latency associated with filling the media player'sbuffer and consequently media player initiation, as depicted in step432. In some embodiments, the media player and the media buffer resideon a client-computing device. In other embodiments, the media datareside and are being transferred from a computing device directly to themedia player's buffer without using any cache memory or cache storage,as depicted in step 433.

The simultaneously received portions of media data are depicted in step430, where in step 434 the buffer is checked to determine if the bufferis full. If the buffer is not full, the simultaneous sessions areinitiated again. Otherwise, the media player is initiated with the fullmedia player buffer in step 440.

FIG. 5 shows one media data system 510 according to the teachings of thepresent invention. The system 510 includes a cache or media buffer 512associated with a media player 504 and having a data size 513. Thesystem 510 further includes media data 514, wherein the media data areacquired or streamed from a media source device 502 into a cache 508.Accordingly the media player 504 requires, in some embodiments, thecache or the media buffer 512 having media data 514 of a minimum size513 at a startup time.

Moreover in some embodiments, the cache 508 acquires the minimum size513 media data 514 to fill the cache or media buffer 512 prior to arequest by the media player 504 for the media data 514. Thus, once themedia player 504 makes the request for the media data 514, the cache 508delivers the full cache buffer or media buffer 512 to the media player504 for use at a rate in excess of a bandwidth rate normally associatedwith the media player 504.

In some embodiments, the media data 514 reside in a cache buffer 512 andthe media data are transmitted (e.g., out of the cache buffer 512) tothe media player 504, and in other embodiments the media player 504 alsohas a separate media buffer to receive (e.g., into the media player's504 separate media buffer) the media data 514. In this way in someembodiments, a single buffer exists or in other embodiments multiplebuffers exists where one buffer is used to transfer media data 514 froma cache buffer 512 and one buffer receives media data 514 into a mediabuffer for immediate consumption by the media player 504. Of course insome embodiments the single buffer is a media buffer 512 and no cachebuffer is present at all.

Further in still other embodiments, a controller 516 manages media data514 transfer from the cache 508 to the cache or media buffer 512 and thesubsequent consumption of the media data 514 by the media player 502.Moreover in other embodiments, the controller 516 manages media data 514acquisition from the media source device 502 into or out of the cache508.

Communication between the media player 504 and the cache 508 occurs, insome embodiments, over communication channel 506. Communication channel506 includes by way of example only, direct communications with a cache508 local to the client-computing device housing the media player 504, aremote cache 508 in high speed communication with the client-computingdevice housing the media player 504, and the like.

In additional embodiments, the cache 508 acquires the media data 514 bydirectly interfacing through one or more media transport communicationchannels (not depicted in FIG. 5) with the media source device 502. Inother embodiments, the cache 508 is separate from a client-computingdevice housing the media player 504 and any media buffer 512. Further instill other embodiments, the cache 508 is operable to interface with aplurality of additional cache or media buffers and media playersresiding on a plurality of additional client-computing devices (notshown in FIG. 5).

Further as is apparent to those skilled in the art, although FIG. 5depicts system 510 as being contiguous, in some embodiments a mediabuffer is part of the media player 504. And, in other embodiments acache buffer 510 is used to interface the media data 514 to a separatemedia buffer, if present, and the media player 504 directly. Further instill other embodiments, system 510 is physically distributed across oneor more storage devices to logically form system 510.

FIG. 6 shows one media data system 610 to provide media data to a mediaplayer 612. The system 610 includes the media player 612, a media buffer614 used by the media player 612 to play media data, and a data transfercontroller 616. The data transfer controller 616 acquires the media datafrom a media source data storage 602 and overloads the media buffer 614at a startup to reduce latency associated with the startup of the mediaplayer 612.

In some embodiments the data transfer controller 616 is a set ofexecutable instructions operable to perform a set of logicalinstructions to reduce latency associated with the startup. In otherembodiments, the data transfer controller 616 is one or moreelectromechanical devices, designed to execute logical instructions toreduce latency associated with the startup. In this way the datatransfer controller 616 in some embodiments is embedded within the mediaplayer 612, a flash memory device, portable computing device, handheldcomputing device, and the like.

Furthermore in some embodiments, the media buffer 614 is integrated intothe media player 612. Additionally, in some embodiments the rate of datatransfer associated with the data transfer controller 616 isconfigurable. In other embodiments, the data transfer controller 616overloads the media buffer at the startup by establishing a plurality ofdata transfer sessions 604 with the media source data storage 602.

The foregoing description of various embodiments of the invention hasbeen presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is notintended to be exhaustive nor to limit the invention to the precise formdisclosed. Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will beapparent to those skilled in the art in light of the above teaching. Forexample, although various embodiments of the invention have beendescribed as a series of sequential steps, the invention is not limitedto performing any particular steps in any particular order. Accordingly,this invention is intended to embrace all alternatives, modifications,equivalents, and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scopeof the attached claims.

1. A method of filling a media player residing in a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium and for execution on a machine,comprising: using, by the machine, a plurality of data communicationrequests to a media source and establishing a plurality of media datatransfer sessions for each request with the media source; simultaneouslyreceiving, by the machine, portions of media data during each of thetransfer sessions into a buffer associated with the media playerresiding on a client; and initiating, by the machine, the media playerwhen the buffer is filled.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein a cacheassociated with the client is not required in order to receive portionsof the media data into the buffer.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein alatency associated with initiating the media player is reduced bysimultaneously receiving the portions of the media data.
 4. The methodof claim 1, wherein a total number of data requests is configurable. 5.A method implemented in a non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium and for execution on a machine, comprising: issuing, by themachine, a plurality of independent data communication requests to amedia source for content, each request associated with a differentportion of the content and each request processing in parallel at themedia source; receiving, by the machine, each different portion of thecontent from one of the requests and housing each different portion ofthe content in a buffer; and determining, by the machine, when thebuffer is full with each different portion of the content to initiateplaying of the content by a media player having access to the buffer. 6.The method of claim 5, wherein issuing further includes issuing theplurality of data communication requests as independent communicationsessions with the media source, each communication session operating inparallel from the other independent communication sessions.
 7. Themethod of claim 5, wherein determining further includes reissuing moreindependent data communication requests to the media source when thebuffer is not full with each different portion of the content.
 8. Themethod of claim 5, wherein receiving further includes identifying themedia player and the buffer as being installed and part of a clientcomputing device associated with a user that is attempting to play thecontent from the media source.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein thecontent being transferred to the buffer does not get housed or recordedin cache associated with the client computing device.
 10. The method ofclaim 5, wherein issuing further includes determining how many requeststo make to the media source based on a latency desired for obtaining thecontent from the media source.
 11. The method of claim 10, whereindetermining further includes executing each request in parallel againstthe media source, each response returns in parallel a different portionof the content from the media source.
 12. A method implemented in anon-transitory computer-readable medium for execution on a machine,comprising: configuring, by the machine, multiple independent sessionsthat interact with a media source to acquire portions of media content;processing the multiple independent sessions in parallel against themedia source; simultaneously receiving the different portions of thecontent as responses from each of the multiple independent sessions; andplaying the content from a media buffer once the buffer is full with thedifferent portions of the content.
 13. The method of claim 12, whereinconfiguring further includes setting a total number of the multipleindependent sessions based on a desired latency for starting up andplaying the content.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein simultaneouslyreceiving further includes obtaining the responses over an Internettransport, an infrared transport, a radio frequency transport, or awireless transport.
 15. The method of claim 12, wherein the differentportions are not housed in cache of client device associated with a userrequesting the content.
 16. The method of claim 12, wherein processingfurther includes processing the multiple independent sessions inparallel to override an established transfer bandwidth associated withreceiving the content from the media source.
 17. The method of claim 12,wherein processing further includes processing the multiple independentsessions in parallel to customize the transfer bandwidth associated withreceiving the content from the media source.
 18. The method of claim 12,wherein processing further includes customizing a total number of themultiple independent sessions that process in parallel to alleviatecongestion problems associated with streaming the content to the buffer.